How to sync iCloud Reminders with your Android device

For some users who are torn between switching from iOS to Android, the downside of giving up some iCloud features such as Calendar and Reminders (especially if there are shared calendars or reminder lists with other iCloud users) is too much to overlook.

Last July I covered an app called SmoothSync for Cloud Calendar that provided a solution for Android users to still have two-way sync with iCloud calendars. The app has been updated several times since last summer, with each update improving reliability, but until recently the option to sync Reminders was still missing. If you had set up the app in the past, you would've noticed your Reminder lists were all visible as calendars to sync, but when selected nothing would sync over.

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Then a few days ago the developer, Marten Gajda, released an update that added Reminders sync. This update is a huge boost to those of us who use Reminders on OS X or iOS as a primary method to stay organized.

To sync your iCloud Reminders to your Android device, you'll need a total of two apps. The first one is SmoothSync for Cloud Calendar, which will set you back roughly $2.86, depending on your currency. The second app is free, it's called Tasks; it's developed by the same developer specifically to work with the first app and iCloud Reminders.

Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Once you get both apps downloaded and installed, set up SmoothSync with your iCloud calendar information and then launch Tasks. You might have to give it a few minutes to sync over your Reminders, depending on how many lists and entries you have, but they'll show up eventually.

There are a few features missing right now, but for a first release, the basic framework is there. Features scheduled to come in a future update to Tasks according to the Play listing include recurring tasks, alarms, categories, task groupings, better sorting, and filters and widgets.